I finally did it. With the help of what turned out to be a better than half-price coupon, I offered up my face and hair to the artists at Glamour Shots today. Three hours later, I was looking at 21 photos of myself–at least that’s what the name on the screen said. I wasn’t sure that poufy hair and gorgeous skin were really mine. But I thought the smile looked familiar.

The helper who greeted me knew she had an amateur on her hands when she asked, “Where’s your jewelry?”

“Forgot. But I have my rings on!” (I never wear earrings or necklaces because my baby grabs them. So of course I didn’t think to throw them on before I left the house. Oops.)

“Oh, I want the natural look. Nothing too poufy, please. And try to keep the makeup toned down, OK?”

Cindy was so gracious. “Hmm…let’s just see how it goes. I know what the camera does to a face.” And off she went.

It really wasn’t so bad. In fact, I found myself wishing my husband were with me, so he could pick out the pose he wanted for his free 8×10. But since I’d left him home with the kids, the choice was mine. Hope he likes it.

Why go through all this when I could have been watching the Cowboys beat Vince Young and the Titans?

Publicity. Book jackets (which haven’t happened yet), PR forms, web sites, bylines on articles…everyone seems to want a photo to go along with your bio. And if you’ve seen the photo here on the blog…that’s about all I’ve got. And to get that one, I had to cut out the face of an old friend sitting next to me! This seemed a good time to suck it up and lay down the cash for a quality photo.

I love coupons!